


Reawakened

by Hellenar_TS



Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: Angst, F/F, Fluff, For the most part at least, I'm Bad At Tagging, Mostly Canon Compliant, Multi, No Beta, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, Redemption, Sporadic Updates, also charoix is the main focus here, baby's first fanfiction :D, but it doesn't show up until much later, hoo boy here we go aaaaaaa, how the hell does html even work, i'll organize these later i promise, im not good at deciding what qualifies as fluff and what doesn’t, long boi, maybe????, not because it's intentional or anything i just suck at research, some of the deviation is intentional just to reinforce the plot i have in mind, the other ships probably aren't too important plotwise but honestly idk, why the hell are the tags out of order??????
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:53:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25798480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hellenar_TS/pseuds/Hellenar_TS
Summary: In which Croix goes on a mission to break Wagandea's curse, and two witches seek to repair a broken bond.
Relationships: Diana Cavendish/Atsuko "Akko" Kagari, Hannah England/Amanda O'Neill, Ursula Callistis | Chariot du Nord/Croix Meridies
Comments: 4
Kudos: 24





	1. Prologue

“Take care, Croix.”  
  
Croix smiled. “You too, Chariot.”  
  
The redheaded witch was looking at her with an expression so melancholy that it broke her heart. How someone could still regard her with even a smidge of kindness, how someone could feel so hurt without her around, she didn’t understand in the slightest. She’d almost ended the world, for the Nine’s sake, not to mention she’d nearly killed some of the students and staff of Luna Nova on several occasions.  
  
But both Chariot and even the headmistress seemed forgiving enough, for whatever reason, so she just went along with it. Granted, it was a blessing she didn’t deserve at all, but if they were offering it to her, she would take it.  
  
“Headmistress Holbrooke, I’m in your debt,” she said to the diminutive witch with a small bow of respect.  
  
The headmaster beamed, her blue eyes shimmering with an almost motherly kindness. “Croix, you’ll always be welcome here,” she replied.  
  
“Thank you,” answered Croix, more out of politeness than anything, because she was sure she wouldn’t really be welcome anywhere if her past decisions and errs were any indication. “But…”  
  
_But I don’t deserve it,_ she would’ve said.  
  
But _what?_  
  
In the moments leading up to that instant, she was positive that there was nothing left for her, that there was no possible way she could be saved from the terrible deeds she’d committed.  
  
But no, now that she thought about it…perhaps there was something she could do.  
  
Even if none of her other wrongs could be forgiven, there was still something that could be done, still the faintest chance of redemption.  
  
“There’s something I must accomplish,” she eventually decided to say. “After I clean up my messes.”  
  
Professor Chariot seemed to perk up, just a tiny bit. Beside her, Headmistress Holbrooke tilted her head in mild confusion. “Something…you must…accomplish?”  
  
“Yes…” Croix answered. “I promise to find a cure for Wagandea’s Curse before I return.” It was the least she could do for an old friend, after all, and though the chances of her redemption were slim, there wasn’t a chance she never took. She was ambitious, after all. She’d do anything if it meant proving her potential, if it meant even having a single good deed to her name.  
  
Yes, yes…she’d cure Wagandea, and only then could she peacefully return to her former job as professor.  
  
Though, the cure had been sought after for centuries at least, so to make such a bold and impulsive promise, especially for something that seemed so horribly farfetched…she was sure her words would be met with derision.  
  
But no one scoffed. No, Headmistress Holbrooke looked on her with the same gentleness, and Chariot seemed touched, her eyes shining with tears. Was it hope or longing that filled those crimson eyes?  
  
“Croix…” Chariot gasped.  
  
Croix’s heart ached. Making false promises…her entire life had been built off of lies. If this vow failed, like all the others, she’d never forgive herself.  
  
She had always been too hasty, always promising the impossible. No, no, it couldn’t be done.  
  
But she didn’t want to break Chariot’s heart again. The promise had already been made. She’d already put it out there. However absurd it might have sounded in that moment…  
  
Behind her, one of the escorts gruffly announced, “It’s time.”  
  
Whatever it took, she’d see to it that this would be one vow she would never break.  
  
But before the escorts could carry her off to jail, she couldn’t help but poke fun at her friend one last time. “Imagine how it’d look if Akko learned to fly while her teacher still can’t.”  
  
Was it too soon to jest about it? No…Chariot seemed to have come to terms with her lack of flight for the time being, and perhaps she’d just imagined it, but her sorrowful eyes seemed to flash with laughter for just a split second, and the smallest ghost of a smile made its way onto her face.  
  
Croix flashed one final, and what she hoped was a genuine, smile, before turning to leave. With a single whisper of “ _Tia Freyre_ ”, she was off, and the rest of the world dissolved into sea-green light.  
  
_Chariot…I will find the cure. This time, I won’t break your heart. I promise it._  
  


* * *

  
Chariot stared as the green light of the leyline slowly faded, and the terminal was left in silence.  
  
It’d all gone by so quickly, and to her, it had felt even quicker. Too quick.  
  
She’d not been able to express her thoughts and feelings in the brief window of time that the Ministry had allowed them. Still, it was a merciful thing that they’d allowed the witches any time together at all.  
  
She was certain that Croix was long gone by then, that the words she wanted to use would only be heard by herself and the still-somewhat perplexed headmistress beside her.  
  
So, she decided, she’d save those words for another time, and instead simply cried:  
  
“Croix, I’ll be waiting for you!”  
  
There was so much she’d wanted to say, so much she had yet to tell her, but there just hadn’t been the time. And now, she could only desperately hope that that wouldn’t be the last of her…friend?  
  
She wasn’t quite sure how she felt.  
  
All those unspoken words and silent emotions stirred and ached in her chest. She felt wetness on her cheeks - _when had she started crying?_ \- but did not bother to wipe them away.  
  
She wouldn’t let go of them, not yet, until the time was right.  
  
“I’ll be waiting…”  
  


* * *

  
Sure enough, Akko did find her figurative wings not long afterwards.  
  
Her first successful ventures into broom riding was met with much astonishment and joy, and even Constanze spoke as the small audience witnessed her feet floating a whole 18 inches off the ground.  
  
“She flew.”  
  
Such a simple statement.  
  
Chariot clapped her hands together and congratulated Akko on her success, to which the latter beamed so brightly that it made the sun dull in comparison, but while she wouldn’t deny that she was very proud of how far the brunette had come, she remembered the last words Croix had spoken to her before she’d been escorted away.  
  
“Imagine how it’d look if Akko learned to fly while her teacher still can’t.”  
  
Watching as her pupil continued to test her newly found abilities with genuine euphoria, she chuckled bittersweetly as she thought of her own flightless form.  
  
No one said that breaking Wagandea’s Curse would be easy, or even possible for that matter, but she was still holding out hope. Even so, seeing Akko so happy on a flying broom reminded her of the first time she ever flew, and she couldn’t deny that she was ever so slightly jealous.  
  
“Imagine…”


	2. After the Stars Fell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whereupon an ancient thing stirs, an opportunity presents itself, and our story properly begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaaaa i'm finally done!! sorry this chapter took like half a year sjdlfkf
> 
> i'll admit, i was putting it off for a lot of the time, sometimes because i wasn't vibing with how it was turning out and others because i wasn't vibing with it in general (sorry ;;) don't get me wrong, i'm really passionate about the storyline i have in mind and i really want to share it with all of you guys, i just wish writing didn't have to be so hard or take so long *sobs*
> 
> but i was also working on a few other projects in the process! like diakko week 2020 (uhh we don't talk about how that turned out lol) and diakkomass 2020 (ok all i did was draw something for one of the fics but at least i'm proud of how that one turned out >:C)
> 
> sorry about the long wait again yall ;-; hopefully the next few chapters won't take as long!
> 
>  _hopefully!_ hopefully.
> 
> anyway here's to 2021 :D congrats on surviving part 1 of the apocalypse everybody! let's try to get more than one chapter per year this time. and also not die

### Act I. Forgotten Dream

**_EARLY FEBRUARY, 2018_ **

_It was common knowledge in the world that magic had been reawakened following the Noir Missile incident._

_Of course, that fateful day had many other names as well. The Revival of Yggdrasil, the Great Rebirth, the day that the stars fell from the sky._

_Akko and Diana, the two Believing Hearts, were renowned among the magical community as heroes, having fired that final shot into the heart of hatred from the heavens. Their friends, a diverse and curious cast of characters, had each used their different strengths to propel them all towards their goal. Even the ambitious Croix, the one who had been trying to deter the others at first, had had a change of heart. She and Professor Chariot had been the ones to rally magical and non-magical folk alike to believe in those Believing Hearts, and without their combined efforts, the world might not have made it out intact._

_All in all, it had been a period of great rejoicing and wonder. The seal that had held the Grand Triskellion in place all those centuries ago had been broken, hate had seemingly been vanquished, and, well…the world had truly changed._

_Both the Triskellion and the Claiomh Solais had fulfilled their destinies, and so it seemed that the tale of the witches of Luna Nova had come to an end with the start of the Age of Reawakening._

_Yet there was still a part of that seemingly reawakened magic power that still slumbered, tucked away and hidden from everyone’s reach._

_Deep in the heart of the forbidden forest, an ancient tree stirred. A tree that had grown fat and rich off of the stolen magic of poor wandering souls throughout the ages that it had existed._

_But not quite sated._

_The tree was still in bloom, and pollen dust clouded the air about it like sickly yellow mist. Pollen that continued to draw in the magic around it, if only so the tree would continue to grow, neverending though it appeared to be, for it continued to be fueled by an unbreakable greed._

_It would drink of the magic that fell from the heavens like a fountain of sea-green stars, that clung to the substance of everything like invisible dewdrops. It would take in all the power there was to take until there was no more left to be taken, and then it would continue to take regardless._

_It would drink of the magic, and grow forever.  
  
_

* * *

  
Prison was not fun.

Well…that probably went without saying.

Honestly, Croix was pretty surprised she was there at all. The way things had been and how terribly she’d screwed up on several occasions, she’d thought that she’d just be tossed straight onto the chopping block. But there was the whole fair trial thing, and England didn’t do the death penalty anymore, so she was just stuck here instead. Probably for the next twenty years or so. Even so, she took it, because hey, she couldn’t find a cure if she was dead.

While the Ministry _had_ permitted her to continue her research and experiments even while she was locked up in the big house, it was only to a very restrained extent. They’d allowed her access to a small handful of books, but due to security concerns, they’d denied her any substances that were even remotely dangerous, which meant she was essentially limited to the stuff found in toy magic and chemistry kits that were sold to kids.

Adding on to that very pressing issue was the fact that a vast majority of magical paraphernalia and resources could be harmful if used improperly, whether it was something as insignificant as mild irritation, or something as horrible as a slow death accompanied by agony with the force of a thousand suns. So in essence…she couldn’t actually do anything useful.

And when she’d actually decided to flip through all of the ten books that they gave her, she found that most of them never mentioned or remotely alluded to Wagandea once. The one that did only had a few short lines on the topic, and it wasn’t anything she didn’t already know: “Among the most hazardous of these plants is the unique, endlessly growing Wagandea tree in the Forest of Arcturus. Its flowers disperse a pollen that permanently absorbs one’s magical ability, for which there has been no discovered cure. For lack of a known treatment or use, and the fact that its origins are shrouded in mystery, we shall decline to mention it any further within these pages.”

None of the books had mentioned anything about similar diseases either. Of course, probably none of these were as severe as that of Wagandea’s, but if a cure worked for one ailment, something with similar properties could probably work for another. But she couldn’t even go off of that information.

The most entertaining thing she’d managed to get done in terms of experimentation was making a very underwhelming mini-explosion. Well, it could hardly be called an explosion, because technically nothing had blown up, but it made a little pop like a cork being pulled out of a bottle and released a tiny blue puff of smoke into the air, so…close enough, she supposed.

But how was that going to help her get any headway in her attempt to find a cure?!

Not that she really had any progress to begin with, but this would just slow things down a terribly unnecessary amount.

She couldn’t fiddle around with Wagandea pollen, because they’d given her none and wouldn’t let her collect any, and there wasn’t much else that could be done either. She was stuck.

And very terribly bored.

Croix groaned. She would’ve slammed her head against her desk if she didn’t need to use both of those things for later. If she’d known that things would’ve been like _that_ , she’d almost take any other punishment over her current predicament.

Almost, because at least they let her keep some of her magitronics, though the guards had made sure that she’d modified them to merely detect emotion instead of absorbing it in the form of Fuel Spirit. Those droids and pixels were pretty much powerless now and, for the most part, could only follow her around like pets. In a way, they did make very nice company: Croix was used to hanging out around magitronics after all. When she had nothing better to do, which wasn’t saying all that much, really, considering her extremely limited options, she’d settle with playing with them and what little controls they had left, whether that was programming them to create small light shows or beep out little melodies.

So yeah, having her little magitronics around was pretty neat.

And they let her keep her instant noodles. One couldn’t go wrong with that.  
  


* * *

**_  
LATE APRIL, 2018_ **

“I can’t believe it…I still can’t believe it!” exclaimed Akko, her brown hair dancing in the faint breeze as she hovered idly in the air. “I’m actually flying!”

“You are!” affirmed Lotte, her eyes sparkling with pride for her roommate.

It appeared that everyone else was equally proud of her at the very least. Some of them were cheering loudly, others applauding, others still simply beaming with approval. Including Hannah, Barbara, and Professor Finnelan, surprisingly enough. Even Sucy had a rare smile on her face. “Heh, and I didn’t need to use any of that leapfrog potion on your broom either,” she added.

If Akko was insulted by the slight, she made no indication that she had been. With a “yay!”, she floated a little higher on her broom, stopping with her feet hanging about a foot and a half off the top of the low stone brick wall. She swung her legs back and forth in the space, embracing the peculiar yet oh so _wonderful_ sensation of weightlessness. It really reminded the others (or most of the others anyway, since neither Andrew nor Frank had ever used magic) of their first moments of flight, and seeing Akko finally accomplish one of her dreams after ages of working towards it was truly heartwarming.

Though of course, it was not the only thing that she had wanted to do that day. When inviting everyone, she’d proposed that all those among them who could fly fly alongside her if she managed it, because it was always more fun with more friends, and even if she hadn’t been able to, they could still have a party just for the sake of having one. They’d agreed, of course, but none of them really thought that progress would be so visible so soon. However, by no means did this immediately make her a broom flying expert.

“Might I remind you that you’re only levitating, as of the present,” Diana reminded her with a teasing but not unkind hint of a smile, walking closer towards the brick structure. “You’ve still a lot to learn, after all, since you’ve just begun.”

Akko groaned in defeat, but then her expression immediately brightened again. “But hey, the first step’s always the hardest one, right? I can totally handle that!”

“…Ehhhhh…” Amanda drawled skeptically, causing much of the group to snicker at the doubtful remark.

“Mouuu…” Akko pouted.

“Nah, don’t worry about it, Akko, you know I’m just joking,” said Amanda, giving the brunette a slightly too forceful pat on the back and making her emit a pained sound somewhere between a squeak and a cough. “If you ever need any help, you’ve got one perfectly good broom flier right here,” she continued and pointed her thumb at her chest with a smug grin.

Behind her, Diana raised an eyebrow and cleared her throat.

“…Two perfectly good broom fliers,” Amanda hastily corrected. “Yeah, but all jokes aside, you know we’ll always give you a hand. That’s what friends do, right?”

The group affirmed their support, each one of them willing to help however they could. Diana smiled and added, “Though, Amanda does tend to be…a _tad_ bit reckless with her flying, so I’d advise you to not depend too heavily on her” - much to Amanda’s mild chagrin - “whilst you are still learning the basics.”

“Alright, alright, I guess that’s fair. Wouldn’t want to kill her this early,” sighed Amanda as she raised her arms in mock surrender. Turning her attention back to Akko, she asked, “We’re gonna go grab our brooms now, are you fine with just chilling here until we come back?”

The witch in question nodded, intending to use the time to get a bit more accustomed to flying on her own.

Professor Finnelan then spoke up as well. “Well, I suppose I ought to be going too. I’ve got quite a bit of material to prepare for next year, so I’ll leave them in your care, Professor Callistis,” she said, shifting her focus to the latter. She made to set off, but then turned back to Akko and added, not unkindly, “You are…certainly improving, Miss Kagari.”

Akko smiled back, turned away, and sighed contentedly. She took a moment to stop goading her broom onwards to just enjoy the feeling of levitating for a while longer. It most definitely wasn’t her first time in the air, but this time felt much more peaceful, compared to when she’d ridden on the Shooting Star or the Shiny Balai.

Despite her newfound abilities and, well, everything else really, it truly felt like everything was the same as ever, at least among the red, green, and blue teams.

Well, they’d all grown closer together following the Great Rebirth and the journey that had led up to that point; even Hannah and Barbara were willing to put aside their differences somewhat. That was definitely something to take note of.

Not to mention Akko’s own relationship with Diana had improved significantly. Where once she’d seen the other as nothing more than a self-absorbed rival, now she saw a close friend, their rivalry more amiable and mutual than serious and one-sided. And Diana seemed to be warming up to everyone else in general, too.

So maybe, yeah, a lot of things did end up changing.

Not much had changed for Akko herself, though. Sure, the Shiny Rod had returned to the heavens, and the Words had fulfilled their one purpose, but Akko’s journey as a witch and as a person had not ended - the fact that she had only just now been able to fly being proof of that - though it would be very cliche and even more inaccurate to say that it’d just begun.

And...well, she was still a bit stubborn. Maybe a more mature stubborn person, but a stubborn person nonetheless.

But that seldom deterred her, right? She was nothing if not strong-willed, after all, and that persistence had been one of the few things keeping her on, and sometimes off, her feet throughout a majority of the ordeals and challenges she’d endured.

And now, all that determination was paying off.

Akko kept floating and musing soundlessly to herself. It was pretty nice and warm for England, she distantly noticed, as she basked in the gentle late morning sun.

She was rarely a quiet person when she was awake. The last time she was this quiet, she had been sitting out in the snow, feeling like she’d lost everything. But now, things felt the complete opposite.

She was taken out of her silent reflection when she heard a few voices and footsteps behind her. Akko turned and saw that the rest of the red team were the first to re-emerge with their equipment, the blue and green teams following not long after.

“Oh hey, you’re back!” she exclaimed, her former tranquil state immediately changing into her usual energetic demeanor.

Amanda scanned the field, her broom slung across her shoulder, then grinned and said, “Yup, the gang’s all here. We’re ready when you are.”

“Yosh!” cheered Akko as she pumped a fist into the air. “C’mon, let’s go, right now! First one to fly to that rock” - she pointed to a large stone about a hundred and fifty feet away from them - “wins!”

“What?”

“Oh, right now?” asked Diana, who was caught a little off guard.

Amanda chuckled at Akko’s enthusiasm. “Ooh, you’re really feeling it today, huh? You really think you can make it?”

“Yep! Just watch, you’re gonna eat my dust!” Akko said, determined. Even her own broom was itching to take off ahead.

“Mm, you sure about that?” Amanda asked, mounting her broom. Akko playfully stuck her tongue out at the remark. “You literally just started, you know. Aight, since you’re so hyped up, I’ll let you have a ten-second head start, just to humor you.”

“Yeah!” The brunette firmly gripped the handle of her broom, eyes dead set on the rock. “I’ll make you regret giving me that head start!”

A few of the others hurriedly followed, still a little perplexed at the suddenness of it all. There was no stopping those two, though, nor did they ultimately want to stop them. That was just how they were: impulsive and competitive.

“That’s where you’re wrong, I rarely regret anything.” Amanda had started to say, “I’ll start counting after you take off-”

But at those words, Akko’s focus instantly turned away from Amanda and to the impromptu course. She leaned a little too deeply into her broom, trying to get it to move forward…

…only for it to dump her unceremoniously onto the grass.

“Aaaand she’s not feeling it anymore,” Sucy deadpanned, while Amanda burst into laughter.

Akko pushed herself up, brushing the grass off her robes with a pout. “Aw, but I had it that time!”

Her broom turned around halfway, and cheekily rustled its bristles at her in something akin to blowing raspberries.

“Nooo, not you too~” she whined.

“Looks like your broom’s just as mischievous as you are,” Sucy commented with a smirk.

Akko couldn’t help but smile too, as she eventually managed to get her broom back in control. The broom’s bristles seemed to droop sheepishly, but then they perked up again when she once more mounted and prepared for takeoff, this time with her friends following suit.

“Tell you what, Akko,” suggested Lotte, “we’ll help you get the basics completely down first.”

Akko thought for a bit, and then conceded, “Sounds good!”

“Yeah, I can always kick your ass later!” Amanda shouted from behind, to which Akko protested, “Hey!” and Diana admonished, “Language, O’Neill!”

The nine students steadily rose off the ground with chants of “ _Tia Freyre_ ” (or in Constanze’s case, the mechanical whirring of her custom broom’s engines), and it only took Akko one try this time to get into the air.

As the nearest of them lent her a hand when her broom began giving her some trouble again, guiding her onward and showing her the way, she found solace in the familiarity of everything, the familiarity that somehow still felt very…new. Perhaps it was the newfound closeness that hadn’t been there before that made her feel at home. Perhaps it was the sense of accomplishment, or the knowledge that everything was at last peaceful, comparatively at least. Peaceful, though not without the promise of future adventure.

How interesting, that things could be new and familiar at the same time.  
  


* * *

  
She was out of instant noodles.

Croix was too numb to scream in despair at the horrifying revelation, so she just settled for collapsing on the cold stone floor while her magitronics hovered around her, beeping with concern. She was distantly aware of one magitronic gently and repeatedly poking her arm. All the while, the bare, whitewashed walls seemed to be closing in on her, almost taunting her dire situation.

She didn’t know how long she’d been lying there, but after an indefinite period of time she heard a voice calling her.

Something something…“visitor”.

“Whuh?” she mumbled, peeling her face off the floor.

“You have a visitor,” the source of the voice, a guard whose name she couldn’t quite place in that moment, repeated.

Croix’s heart stirred faintly. Unless she counted the magitronics and guards, neither of which made for particularly good company in the long run, she’d been alone for the past several weeks and it had been driving her up the wall. Having a visitor would change things up a little bit and hopefully give her someone to actually talk to.

Though who would be coming to visit her?

With much effort, she tore herself off the ground and dusted off her clothes, the magitronics drifting away from her. “A visitor? For little ol’ me? You’re kidding…” Some of the pixels booped nervously. She sighed. “Alright, who is it?”

“Said they’d rather keep their identity secret until you two meet, ma’am,” the guard - Evans, she remembered - explained.

Croix tilted her head in confusion.

“Shall I bring them in?” Evans continued.

She nodded, still not quite sure what was going on. Evans turned and left, probably retrieving the guest in question. As soon as he had gone, Croix attempted to make herself appear at least somewhat presentable.

An anonymous visitor, huh? Now who would be coming to visit her? Who could even stand to face her at that point?

She couldn’t really think of any reason why people would stop by to see her again, aside from mocking her defeat one last time. Gods, if that were the case…Her guilt was agonizing enough as it was, she didn’t need to be reminded about it every day, especially not by the ones she’d tried to hurt.

The cell door creaked open again.

She turned her gaze to the entrance in anticipation. _Goodness, it better not be Akko,_ she thought, _hell knows how much the kid probably hates me now. Or even worse, what if it’s-_

As if on cue, Chariot made her appearance in the doorway of the cell, looking a little frenzied, like she’d been in a hurry - Croix noticed that she was still wearing her professor’s uniform beneath a faded traveling cloak that looked like it had been tossed on at the last second - and holding a small tray in both of her hands. On top of the tray was something rectangular, covered in a layer of white and humbly decorated with bits of light, sunny yellow.

A few of the pixels rushed forward to greet her, flashing yellow with joy and whirring with excitement.

Croix’s teal eyes widened in shock as she froze up in astonishment and confusion.

“Croix!” exclaimed Chariot. “Really great to see you again and I’m so sorry I couldn’t visit before, but I-I’ve got some cake with me! It’s homemade, and I thought you’d like it…” she continued, lifting up the tray she was holding. “Oh, and Akko actually managed to fly the other day! I’m so proud of her and I wish you could’ve seen her too, she looked so hap-”

Croix suddenly snapped out of her daze and all but _lunged_ in Chariot’s direction, practically tugging on the collar of the professor’s cloak. The pixels rapidly scattered out of the way, beeping angrily.

“Chariot thank the _Nine_ you’re here they won’t let me experiment properly and the only things they let me have are trash I can’t even use and it’s lonely and I’m out of instant noodles please help I am _dying_!”

Having said it all in one breath, Croix breathed deeply, trying to restore a semblance of composure. Chariot looked on silently, her face a mixture of amused and uncomfortable at the sudden outburst. She’d nearly been bowled over, and to top it off, the cake had been knocked out of her hands - thankfully, she had very quick reflexes and had managed to stop the pastry’s fall before it could splatter against the floor.

“C-Could you repeat that?” she stammered. “A little slower. I only got that last bit.”

The inventor let go of the cloak and slouched with a sigh. “Agh, forget it, it’s just…I’m stressed. I probably deserve this and all, and I could be overthinking, but…I’m not doing all that hot here, it’s hell.”

“Oh dear,” mumbled Chariot. “W-Well…um…let’s get you settled down; we can maybe talk about it over some cake?”

Croix smiled faintly. “Yeah…some cake sounds real nice right about now.”

Chariot nodded and got to work on cutting the cake after setting it down on Croix’s desk, while Croix pushed aside the blankets on her bed to make room for the two of them to sit, as there was only one chair in the cell.

The cake smelled and tasted just as good as it looked - it was vanilla - and though Croix kind of hated to admit it, it was a nice break from instant ramen. So they sat there, sharing the cake and chatting away about how things had been going. Well, Chariot did most of the talking. There wasn’t much to be said about life in prison that Croix hadn’t said already. Later on though, she did show the astrology professor a few of the lackluster supplies that she’d been provided with, the latter laughing along with the former at the absurdity and sympathizing with her troubles, and for a time, the rest of the pastry sat forgotten on the desk.

It should’ve felt good. It really should have, and both witches enjoyed it, but for Croix, and possibly for Chariot as well, it didn’t feel _right_.

Oh, she wanted to hate Chariot, she really did, for stealing what she thought was her destiny from practically right under her nose. Twice. It should have been easy to hate her for that. Yet for some reason, she just couldn’t bring herself to, and she almost wished that Chariot could hate her instead. She couldn’t deny that it was relieving to know that Chariot didn’t seem angry at her at all, but it was painful at the same time, and she couldn’t help but wonder why she was still being so nice.

The heavy burden of her guilt and confusion continued to weigh on her mind.

And so their conversation eventually died down into an awkward silence. Croix stared at her half-eaten cake, her expression unreadable and her appetite seemingly gone.

“Why did you come?” she finally asked. “Even after everything I did to hurt you?”

Chariot hesitated. Her only reply was, “I care about you.”

 _Of course she would say that,_ Croix thought bitterly.

“But I don’t deserve your care. I _hurt_ you, Chariot. I hurt a lot of people. I could’ve blown France right off the map by now if you guys hadn’t managed to stop the missile.”

“If _we_ hadn’t managed to,” corrected Chariot. “Might I remind you, we all worked together. I think you more than redeemed yourself, in that moment.”

Croix hung her head.

“It’s just not _enough_ ,” she sighed. “I was just trying to clean up my own messes. I kinda still am, if you think about it. It was my fault the pollen affected you in the first place. I lied to Akko, and I tried to stop you from saving her…”

Chariot interjected, “But you changed! You did the right thing in the end. It wasn’t your fault that the missile got possessed, and it _absolutely_ wasn’t your fault that it wouldn’t let you disable it; you never anticipated that happening.”

“No, you don’t get it.”

Chariot looked up into weary teal eyes, but Croix turned away. The latter went on, her voice heavy.

“None of that would’ve happened if I hadn’t carried on with my Noir Fuel Spirit experiments in the first place, so yes, it is my fault. And even if we don’t take the missile into consideration, everything else I did was deliberate.”

“…Croix…”

“I’m sorry, Chariot, but it’ll be a while, if ever, until I stop hating myself for what I’ve done. I still can’t look you in the eye without remembering everything. Hell, I can’t even _think_ about you without remembering.”

She exhaled again, and after some hesitation, returned the eye contact.

“But I’m determined to redeem myself properly,” she affirmed, as an afterthought. “Whatever it takes.”

“Whatever it takes, huh…?”

Croix nodded, with a sad smile. “It’ll be a start.”

Chariot mulled over the statement for a bit.

“Well then…you’ll still have to draw the line somewhere. We don’t want a repeat of what happened last time you tried to prove yourself,” she answered.

Croix’s gaze flickered downwards to her unfinished slice as she glumly rested her head on her right hand. “…I know. You don’t have to remind me why I’m here.”

“Oh yeah, sorry, but…i-if it’s any consolation, I’ll…uh…try to help you with your situation!”

“And how might you do that?” Croix deadpanned.

“Um.” Chariot began to open her mouth, but then glanced nervously at Evans, who was still standing guard. Damn, Croix thought, she’d almost forgotten that he was there. “I can…help you do some research? Access the stuff that you can’t right now. And, and…I can bake you some more cake!”

“Heh.” Croix chuckled, her voice hollow. “I’m just grateful that you’re here for me and trying to help as best as you can. I appreciate it, I really do,” she continued, digging her fork back into her slice of cake with a wistful smile. Despite Chariot’s optimism, the regret in her chest did not cease to stir, nor would it for quite a long time.

“It kinda makes me think that we might have a chance of fixing stuff after all.”

The road to redemption would be long and winding. It wouldn’t be an easy journey, and it would most certainly not be painless. But then again, no path truly worth taking came without a price.

And Croix, well…she felt like she’d already paid it all, so why not take it?  
  


* * *

  
Chariot couldn’t sleep.

Granted, she was a professor, which meant that she often worked late into the evening and would inevitably have to sacrifice some of her rest hours, on occasion. But even on those nights, the resulting exhaustion from grading papers and preparing material made sleep come quick and easy. She’d never had _this_ much trouble falling asleep before, not that she could remember.

No, despite her tiredness that night, sleep just wouldn’t come.

It wasn’t that she had had a nightmare (after all, she hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep), or one too many cups of tea, or anything of the sort. Her mind was heavily preoccupied, and it was keeping her awake.

She couldn’t stop thinking about the visit with Croix earlier that day. Maybe it was what she’d told her, during their brief time together. About being in prison, about not having any access to proper supplies, about being stuck in there for the next several years at the very least. Or maybe it was just the sight of her, looking so exhausted and desperate for a real chance at getting better and doing the right thing. How helpless she’d been, just like when she’d put in so much work and time to unlock the Seal only for the Grand Triskellion to mock her with its perceived uselessness. Granted, the latter thing wasn’t _right_ of her to do, but somehow, seeing her so hurt sent a pang through her heart.

Try as she might, she couldn’t shake the image out of her head.

After tossing and turning fruitlessly, she gave up on trying to return to her slumber, instead opting to crawl out of the makeshift bed she’d fashioned from her couch. After fumbling with her glasses and putting them on, she glanced at the crystal ball on her desk. It was only two in the morning, the green light barely lessening the darkness in the rest of the office that doubled as her living space. Alcor was still snoozing peacefully on his perch.

She decided to walk to her typical meditating spot, by the window on the second floor of the quarters. Perhaps that would clear her head a bit.

It wasn’t exactly the best night for moon-gazing. The almost starless night sky was dark and heavily obscured by cloud cover - days where the weather was as clear as it’d been that May Fair were relatively few and far between in Britain, after all - and the moon was already waning, the lower half of the four-pointed mark scarring its surface shrouded in shadow. The scenery was imperfect, but fitting, considering the far less than optimal circumstances Chariot found herself faced with.

Specifically, how to deal with her promise. Though, could it really be called a promise if she wasn’t too sure herself? It was more an offer if anything, one still very up in the air.

In response to her proposal to help Croix with her current situation, she’d said, “And how might you do that?”

 _Good question…how might I do that…?_ she thought.

Croix was in prison, that much was obvious. There wasn’t really a good way out of that, especially not in Chariot’s power. Well, there was one very direct solution, but said method was also reckless, not to mention illegal. She’d in fact been on the verge of bringing it up, before she remembered that the security guard was still there, listening to everything.

Any other solutions she had in mind however, although more…moral, she supposed, were a lot more convoluted and time-consuming. None of them were sure to work out either. Some of them might even make Croix’s situation more bleak than they already were.

Her offer to help with research still stood, of course, but what with the Wagandea pollen already having taken away her flight and potentially other bits of her magic she wasn’t yet aware of, she doubted she would be very effective at actually testing anything out. And the cake, she guessed. Less actual help and more…moral support? She wasn’t sure.

But if she followed through with her other plans, she could bake cake for Croix more often. And maybe catch up or just chat more. That part was nice. Something she hadn’t been able to do properly with her in ages -

No, no, what was she thinking? There was no way she’d resort to doing _that_ just for a chance to spend more time together…

Chariot repressed her urge to groan and plant her forehead against the window. No, she was just lying to herself. She was absolutely doing it, she couldn’t possibly back out at this point. But at the same time…she could. It was a thoroughly ludicrous concept, and it’d only make things worse. Maybe she wasn’t lying to herself. But then again…

She couldn’t believe what her life had come to, that she was seriously deliberating illegal action.

It was ridiculous. All of this was ridiculous. Eventually she decided to attribute her irrational thoughts to her lack of sleep and attempt to go back to bed. She hoped her thoughts would clear up and sort themselves out in the morning.

Seven sleepless hours later, no, they hadn’t cleared up.

Chariot was thankful that it was summer break, because her condition was practically unpresentable, and there was no way she would be able to teach a class the way that she was. Still, it didn’t necessarily make things any better. She really wished that she knew a spell to clear her mind, and there probably was, but if she tried to cast it while she was so exhausted, it would probably backfire somehow.

It took her all her remaining energy for her not to collapse on her desk. Her gaze roved idly over the many posters and pictures on the wall, before stopping at the poster of the seven Words.

She didn’t even know why she still had it up. The Seal had been broken months ago. Maybe it was just a reminder of what the Words were supposed to mean? A reminder to herself, the one who’d tried and failed for years to achieve what her protégé had now done. It was a bit disappointing, in that sense, that she hadn’t been able to succeed while she was still worthy. Or maybe she never was worthy, and Woodward already knew and had just planned the whole thing. Still, in the end, she was alright with that. If anything, she was grateful for the experience, if only to rediscover the true meaning of magic and the Words through watching Akko succeed where she could not.

Akko had helped her with helping herself. Maybe she could help her help Croix too?

…Speak of the devil. She was interrupted from her thoughts by a knock on her office door, followed by the familiar sound of a certain student’s voice.

“Professor Ursula?”

Despite her fatigue, she sprang out of her seat and into action. “J-Just a moment!” she cried, hastily making her way over to the door. Or, as quickly as she could, anyway.

“Professor Ursula, it’s a bit urgent…”

Chariot - no, here, she was Ursula - couldn’t even bring herself to be too worried; it was typical of the student at that point. “Did you set something on fire again?” she asked as she opened the door. Behind her, Alcor stirred awake at the new arrival.

Said arrival blinked and grinned sheepishly. “Well, technically it…shouldn’t be on fire anymore…?”

The haggard professor sighed, but still managed to smile. “Show me?”

It turned out that Akko had somehow managed to blast a sizable hole into the side of the cafeteria while training with the Red Team in the courtyard (apparently, she’d been trying to practice shooting fireworks). If Akko’s words were anything to go by, Lotte, Sucy, and a few other students who had gathered around and noticed what had happened, had already extinguished the fire. A good portion of the stone had been blown to dust as a result of their failed practice session, and smoke and steam were still rising from the smoldering rubble that littered the vicinity. And how’d she manage to set _stone_ on fire? _Leave it to magic to defy physics,_ she thought with a bemused smirk.

But thankfully, the larger threat had already been eliminated, and repairing the wall was relatively simple. Ursula was a little glad for the diversion, partly because it helped her take her mind off the things that had been keeping her up.

Still, she couldn’t exactly avoid them. She figured she’d have to bring it up with Akko eventually, so why not now? She just hoped she wouldn’t be…conveniently interrupted…by anything else going on.

“Are you giving me detention?” Akko asked nervously as the two of them headed back to her office.

Ursula laughed. “No, no, you’re not in trouble,” she answered. “I think we’ve sorted the issue out already. No, there’s something else I wanted to talk to you about.”

The comment didn’t seem to soothe Akko’s worries very much, and the concerned student tottered along behind Ursula as they headed back to the office. Upon arriving, the professor poured them each a cup of tea - not that she herself needed it, of course.

An awkward silence settled over the two afterwards, and Akko would be the first to speak.

“…Is this something else having to do with you being Shiny Chariot?”

“No, it’s not that…” sighed Ursula, running fingers through her tangled scarlet hair. “Well. Ah. It’s more about...technically...erm, you’re fine with me talking about Croix, right? Even after…everything?”

Akko took a sip of tea and mumbled, “I guess so.”

“W-We don’t have to talk about her if you’re uncomfortable!” Ursula hurriedly added. “I can…I can always find someone else to-”

“No!” Akko reassured. “I mean…I’m fine with talking about her, but I don’t think I’m really up for having to save the world twice in three months, is all…” she laughed, slowly trailing off.

Ursula couldn’t help but chuckle a bit as well. “No, she didn’t do anything this time. I was just thinking, well…”

After some hesitation, and a few quick glances at her door to make sure no one would conveniently interrupt her again, she told Akko about the prison visit on the day before, while the latter sat attentively - the student was a good listener, provided she was invested in the subject at hand.

“…I do really want to be able to fly again; I’d be lying if I said I didn’t care about not being able to anymore,” Ursula finished. “But if I’m being honest, it’s not so much my flying that I care about as it is Croix. I can tell that this means a lot more to her than it does to me. And, well, seeing her so frustrated and lost, it just…I don’t want to see her suffer like that. I guess I just wanna help her find a way out of there, or at least make things better for her…ah, sorry, it's just been bothering me lately.”

Akko hummed sympathetically. “Yeah, I get it…”

The two sat quietly, nursing their tea.

“A way out? So like breaking her out?” she asked, after a pause.

“Akko, that isn’t -”

Ursula opened her mouth in protest, but then stopped herself. “Actually, it kind of is, but still -”

“Wait, so you’re _actually gonna break Croix out of prison?!_ ”

“It’s ridiculous, I know, and I really wouldn’t suggest -”

Ursula stopped. Uh oh, that familiar gleam in Akko’s eyes couldn’t mean anything good.

“No way… _no way_!” she exclaimed, springing out of her seat and knocking her teacup onto the floor. Both she and Ursula cringed away from the sound of ceramic shattering, and Alcor squawked in protest at the jarring noise.

“Can I join? I’ll try not to blow anything else up, I promise - wait, I know exactly who can help us out! I’ll go get Amanda right now!”

“Akko, wait, no -” Ursula began, but like the ball of energy she was, she had already zipped out of the office in a human-shaped whirlwind.

The professor blinked, and then promptly collapsed back into her chair with a groan.

“…Jennifer, what have I done?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed :) sorry if this chapter was too long and wordy, i'll try to make the future ones a little shorter but no promises! also the ending was a bit rushed but i didn't want to leave you guys hanging for any longer ^^; mb.
> 
> kudos and comments are highly appreciated! i'll catch you when chapter 3 comes out :3 ok time to disappear again bye

**Author's Note:**

> oh gosh oh gosh here we go!!!!! im finally posting here after being in the lwa fandom for all of 3 and a half months lol
> 
> umm idk what to sAY- just enjoy it i guess,,,,,,,,
> 
> also this is my first time writing fanfiction, unless you count the inevitable failure that was my now inactive wattpad account, but thankfully i no longer ship real people together and have now resorted to finding comfort in anime lesbians
> 
> (what are we even supposed to say for our first time posting? idk????)
> 
> i get that this prologue was basically just a restatement of the final episode except just with some pov, but lmk what you guys think of this so far, criticism is appreciated!
> 
> and if there's formatting issues just lmk, i just can't wrap my head around html at all so it's probably that
> 
> also as you probably guessed from the tags, updates are probably gonna be. really random. writer's block is a butt. but you're all stuck on this crazy ride with me now so here we gooooo!


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